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  • 22nd Century Settles $9.5M Insurance Claim, Eyes 2026 Profitability

    22nd Century Settles $9.5M Insurance Claim, Eyes 2026 Profitability

    22nd Century Group, Inc. announced it reached a settlement with its insurers for $9.5 million in cash to resolve all business interruption claims related to a fire at the company’s Grass Valley facility in November 2022. The insurers are required to remit the payment within 45 days of the agreement’s effective date.

    “We are very excited to close this chapter and finally settle with our insurance carrier for the full amount we targeted,” CEO Larry Firestone said. “Additionally, because the company is now debt free, this marks a major transition from survival capital to growth capital.”

    The company highlighted that over the past 22 months it has addressed legacy financial challenges, cleaning up its balance sheet. With these matters resolved, 22nd Century Group plans to focus on expanding distribution for its VLN and partner VLN products and is targeting profitability in 2026.

  • U.K. Vape Industry Warns ‘Pride in Place’ Plan Could Backfire

    U.K. Vape Industry Warns ‘Pride in Place’ Plan Could Backfire

    The U.K. Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has branded Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s new Pride in Place program “seriously flawed,” warning it risks driving ex-smokers back to cigarettes and fueling the illicit vape trade. The plan would allow residents to block new vape shops on their high streets. UKVIA Director General John Dunne said this wrongly equates specialist vape stores with betting shops and other “unwanted” outlets, despite vaping being “the most effective method of helping adult smokers quit.”

    Instead, UKVIA is urging the government to introduce a compulsory vape retail licensing scheme, funded by retailers, to keep vapes out of unsuitable venues and support tougher enforcement against rogue sellers. Dunne argued that blocking legitimate vape stores undermines the U.K.’s smoke-free targets and risks strengthening the black market.

  • Concern That Malaysian Retailers Won’t be Ready for Vape Display Ban

    Concern That Malaysian Retailers Won’t be Ready for Vape Display Ban

    Anti-tobacco groups are raising concerns that some Malaysian retailers are still not compliant with the tobacco and vape retail display ban (RDB), which is scheduled for full enforcement on October 1 under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852). The Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) noted that out of more than 51,000 retailers nationwide, a significant number have yet to install the required enclosed cabinets for tobacco and vape products. Observations from the field show some stores leaving certain cigarette products openly displayed and vape products in glass cases.

    MCTC urged the Ministry of Health not to grant exceptions, though it suggested temporary measures—such as covering products with cloth or canvas—if cabinets are still being installed. The council warned that narratives claiming the ban harms small businesses are being used by some retailers to rally political support.

  • Indonesia Weighs Tobacco Tax Hike Amid Worker, Smuggling Concerns

    Indonesia Weighs Tobacco Tax Hike Amid Worker, Smuggling Concerns

    Earlier this week, Indonesia’s Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said that any increase in tobacco excise must be paired with safeguards for workers, warning that steep hikes could push the sector into decline without social protection programs. “You can’t kill the industry unless there’s a program to absorb the displaced workforce,” he told reporters, noting the risk of mass layoffs if cigarette excise rates rise too quickly.

    While higher taxes are designed to cut smoking rates and boost state revenues, Purbaya stressed the need for transition planning. He said he would review the condition of East Java’s cigarette industry and study the growing illegal market, which he warned is eroding legitimate businesses. The finance ministry is also investigating counterfeit excise stamps, which Purbaya believes could be costing the state significant revenue.

    Deputy Finance Minister Anggito Abimanyu confirmed that the 2026 excise tariff remains under review. Lawmakers recently agreed to raise the government’s 2025 customs and excise revenue target to Rp336 trillion ($19.7 billion), up from Rp334.3 trillion. Final details of next year’s tobacco tariff will be determined after an evaluation of this year’s performance.

  • KT&G Announces Additional Share Returns, Increased Annual Dividend

    KT&G Announces Additional Share Returns, Increased Annual Dividend

    KT&G announced stronger shareholder return measures and reaffirmed its global growth trajectory yesterday (September 23) at its “2025 CEO Investor Day.” The company committed to a minimum annual dividend of 6,000 KRW ($4.26), a 600 KRW ($0.43) increase from last year, alongside an additional 260 billion KRW ($184.6 million) in share repurchases and cancellations—funded by the sale of non-core assets. This represents a 171% increase in shareholder returns year-over-year. KT&G has already canceled 10.4% of its shares since 2023 and aims to build further value through flexible capital deployment as global business performance continues to accelerate, supported by premiumization, cost optimization, and fully localized value chains. The company is targeting double-digit growth in both operating profit and revenue in 2025, following five consecutive quarters of “triple growth” across revenue, profit, and sales volume.

    In parallel, KT&G disclosed a comprehensive MOU with Altria Group, Inc. to collaborate across nicotine and non-nicotine categories. KT&G CEO Kyung-man Bang emphasized that the combined strategy of strong shareholder returns and global expansion through strategic partnerships positions the company for sustainable long-term growth.

  • BAT France Points to Anti-Smoking Policy Failure

    BAT France Points to Anti-Smoking Policy Failure

    BAT France told lawmakers today (September 24) that France’s reliance on over-taxation and outright bans risks fueling the illicit nicotine market while failing to cut smoking rates, which remain stubbornly above 30%. “This excessive tax policy has, above all, encouraged criminal, structured, and industrial smuggling,” said Sébastien Charbonneau, director of public and regulatory affairs. He added that the government’s planned ban on tobacco-free nicotine pouches would repeat past mistakes, driving consumers to the black market without advancing public health or protecting minors.

    Instead, BAT France urged a pragmatic approach focused on strict but balanced regulation. The company called for a framework that prohibits sales to minors, limits nicotine content and flavorings, enforces retail controls, and applies substantial penalties for violations.

    “The State has a moral duty to adopt the principle of harm reduction related to smoking to allow adult smokers to have access to alternatives to tobacco, and to do so legally,” Charbonneau said. “All we are asking is to look at the scientific data and regulations that have enabled many countries to achieve their public health objective.”

  • South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea Moving Toward Regulating Vapes Like Cigarettes

    South Korea is moving to classify synthetic nicotine as tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act, subjecting e-cigarettes to the same regulations and taxes as traditional cigarettes for the first time. A subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee approved the revision on Monday, expanding the definition of tobacco from “tobacco leaf” to “tobacco or nicotine.”

    If passed in the main session, the measure would generate an estimated 930 billion won ($646 million) annually in new tax revenue, lawmakers said. Synthetic nicotine has until now been treated as an industrial good, free from tobacco levies and restrictions. The bill, which includes a two-year grace period on retail restrictions, marks the first change to the act’s tobacco definition since its enactment in 1988.

  • Report: Latvia Lost €67M to Illicit Cigarette Trade

    Report: Latvia Lost €67M to Illicit Cigarette Trade

    Latvia lost an estimated €67 million to the illicit cigarette trade in 2024, a 31% increase over the previous year, as reported by KPMG at the National Forum on Smuggling. The study showed that contraband now accounts for 18% of total cigarette consumption in the country, with 340 million units consumed. Belarus remains the main source of smuggled cigarettes according to the report, supplying half of the illicit market, while counterfeit products surged 40% to 140 million units.

    Philip Morris Latvia public affairs head Guntars Grīnvalds warned that simplistic excise tax hikes can exacerbate smuggling rather than increase revenue. He advocated for a differentiated taxation approach: higher duties on traditional cigarettes, but lower rates for less harmful alternatives to encourage switching among adult smokers. The findings underscore the need for balanced excise and regulatory policies, as well as stronger measures against counterfeiting and illegal production, to effectively combat the growing illicit market.

  • CAPHRA Slams WHO Over Barriers to COP11 Participation

    CAPHRA Slams WHO Over Barriers to COP11 Participation

    The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) criticized the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) for imposing what it calls “insane” registration requirements for the upcoming COP11 in Geneva. Executive Coordinator Nancy Loucas said the late opening of registration, coupled with onerous demands for personal documentation, a letter of intent, a full CV, and a declaration of zero tobacco funding, is deliberately designed to exclude consumer advocacy groups and harm reduction voices. Despite the FCTC being in place for two decades, not a single consumer group has ever been granted observer status, while only 26 NGOs have been approved overall, far fewer than in comparable UN forums such as climate negotiations.

    CAPHRA said the WHO’s restrictive interpretation of Article 5.3 has been weaponized to silence stakeholders, including people who smoke or use safer nicotine products. Proceedings remain closed to the media and the public, with no live streaming or meaningful transparency, a practice Loucas calls fundamentally undemocratic. CAPHRA is urging reform to allow full and fair participation, stressing that genuine tobacco harm reduction requires including the very consumers most affected by global policy decisions.

  • Kenyan Retailers Push Back Against Tobacco Control Bill

    Kenyan Retailers Push Back Against Tobacco Control Bill

    Bar owners and retailers in Kenya held a protest today (September 24) and urged the Senate to halt the progress of the Tobacco Control (Amendment) Bill, 2024, citing a lack of public consultation. The Bars, Hotels and Liquor Traders Association of Kenya (BAHLITA) and the Retail Traders Association of Kenya (Retrak) also submitted a joint petition, arguing that consumers, retailers, and manufacturers—those most affected by the proposed law—have been excluded from the legislative process. They contend that the bill, sponsored by ODM Senator Catherine Mumma, has been rushed forward without meaningful stakeholder input.

    The petitioners warn that the bill’s stricter regulations on nicotine products, including synthetic nicotine and e-cigarettes, could harm small and medium-sized businesses, increase compliance costs, and inadvertently drive legal trade into the illicit market. With half of Kenya’s cigarette market already illegal, they argue that the legislation could exacerbate black-market activity, threaten livelihoods, and reduce employment in retail. The groups are calling for inclusive, transparent consultations before the bill proceeds to the Committee of the Whole House stage.